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Sep 27, 1941 - Jan 14, 2022
On January 14, 2022, LaNita Joyce
Wacker (née Jordan), wife of the
late Judge RobertWacker, passed
away from this life and her spirit
was lifted into Heavenly Grace.
Born September 27, 1941 in
Muskogee, Oklahoma, to Marvin
Jordan, Sr., a Methodist minister
and Army Chaplain, and May
Jordan (née Williams), a school
teacher, she grew up and lived during
a generation of change.
A lifelong learner, she traveled the
world attending schools in
Kentucky, Colorado, Germany, and
Washington. A 1959 graduate of
Dayton High School, in Dayton,
Washington she went on to study
and earn her bachelor's degree in
Philosophy from the University of
Puget Sound (UPS), Tacoma,
Washington in 1963. An accomplished
vocalist, she traveled with
the UPS Adelphian Choir and was a
member of Pi Beta Phi Fraternity.
In 1962, at the time of the Seattle
World's Fair, she met her husband
and soulmate, RobertWacker, while
working on the DominionMonarch
Cruise Ship and later working with
her husband at the Edgewater (Inn)
Hotel. Married on December 30,
1962, the couple welcomed four children
into life while living in Seattle
and establishing roots in Shoreline,
Washington.
Throughout her life she saw opportunities
for advocacy and service.
She personally faced and challenged
gender discrimination in her first
employment with the local phone
the company, later leaving that position
to become a real estate broker and
sole proprietor of Dream House
Realty, where she had a knack for
meeting people at their level and
the gift of gab, understanding their
hopes and dreams, and finding
them their dream homes from
which they could create and establish
a strong foundation for their
young families.
She successfully managed her husband's
campaign for election to
Judge of the Shoreline District
Court in 1974.A lifelong champion of
the underprivileged and those who
faced discrimination, she fought for
civil rights and disability rights, and
became active and influential in local
politics. She had no qualms
about being a thorn in the side of
government when she felt it was not
representing and serving the
People. She ensured that local leaders
acknowledged those on the
fringes of society and made sure
their interests were represented.
She was progressive in thought, an
active member of the Democratic
Party and Rainbow Coalition, and
supporter of the LGBTQ+
Community. She regularly attended
local school board and city council
meetings, as well as lobbying the
Legislature, even running for election
to get her points across. She
was a master of the 3-minute opportunity
to speak in public hearings
(which is far less than she would
have liked) and used her voice to
advocate for others.
She enjoyed researching genealogy
and connecting with extended family
tracing her roots of the
Hammond Family back to the
American Revolution and as a descendant
of the explorer Captain
Cook and understood the lessons history
could teach us to make a better
world for our future. She was an active
Soccer Mom with Shorelake
and Emerald City soccer clubs, a
a strong supporter of the Arts in
Shoreline, and active member of the
PTA in the Shoreline School
District. Her family and friends remember
her loving and caring nature,
her fierce independence, and
her creativity with a flair for the
dramatic.
She is preceded in death by her father,
mother, brother, Marvin
Jordan, Jr. of Spokane, and sister,
Brunhilde Gebhardt of Ober-
Ramstadt, Germany. She is survived
by her sisters, Elfriede
Arribas and Karola Modenesi of
Florida, her four children, Paul
(wife Pamella), Ted, Douglas (wife
Dalliana), and Tracie, her 10 grandchildren,
Jhemini (husband
Michael), Kelly, John, Kenny,
Danny, Jaimee, Jasmyn, Kaiya,
Brennan, and Gabriella, and great-grandson,
John-Michael. She was also
another to many more kids who
grew up in the Shoreline
Community.
The family is planning an in-person
Celebration of Life to be held at the
Lake Forest Park Civic Club, July
15, 2022 at 4 pm. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to the
ShoreLake Arts Council and
Shorelake Soccer Club or any other
organization to which you believe her memory
will be honored.
